Come on in, I have to check
-on dinner first. -Okay.
Sorry to... for the impromptu drop-in.
I was just around and thought I'd try to catch Smitty.
My favorite cousin is always welcome.
Oh, don't even.
I know Chelsea's leading the cousin sweeps,
and she and Kat have been killing it
-with Samantha's cotillion look. -[laughs]
-Consider it a draw. -Okay.
But you're out of luck on the Smitty front.
He's not home.
Where is he hiding?
Is he at work or dinner with friends?
Beats me.
He could be hanging out with criminals
and I... I wouldn't know a thing.
I made sure I wasn't followed.
What makes you think you can bang on my door
screaming that I'm undercover?
I wouldn't have to do that if you told me the truth
from the beginning.
Who the hell are you?
♪ ♪
Thank you for indulging my cravings.
How do you not know by now that I will go
to the ends of the earth for you?
Was that too much?
See, I was going for romantic,
but I crossed the Rubicon into sappy, didn't I?
Thank you. All of that syrupy sweetness
has me almost not wanting dessert.
-Hmm. -Almost.
[both laugh]
Although, I don't even know why I bother.
I always get the exact same thing.
Well, I am wide open-- except for the macadamia pie,
which makes me think of Maui, which reminds me
of Ted's bait and switch,
which ruined my original plan.
I may have started with him,
but I ended up right here with you.
Why the long face?
Don't tell me you've soured on that fine "ab-tech."
-Ladies. -Hey, Ted.
Dr. Richardson.
How does champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries,
and a massage sound?
Like the perfect way to kick this long day to the curb.
Mm. Everything will be waiting for us in my suite
when you get off.
Oh, I'm sorry. Did it sound like I was
going to your hotel?
What you just described is the perfect way
for me, myself and I to relax.
I may not have room service,
but I do have a spa credit.
-Mm-hmm. -Shanice.
What's wrong?
Thanks for that fabulous idea.
Man, when you turn 'em down, it is total lights out.
I could learn so much from you.
Do you need to?
You're not the only one with man troubles.
ANDRE: Yeah, that window works for me.
I'll drop a pin when I get there
and then we can make the exchange.
Yeah.
And sanitize the itinerary.
I don't want any eyes on it.
-[loud knock] -Babe! Hey.
Um, how long were you standing there?
Long enough to be intrigued.
Don't be. It was just an assignment.
Interesting.
You want me to think photography,
but it sounds a whole lot more like counterintelligence.
-What now? -"Window."
"Make the exchange, sanitize the itinerary."
It's all very Mission: Impossible,Andre.
[chuckles]
Is my wife accusing me of being a spy?
Just know I'm onto you.
And that under this gorgeous, carefree exterior,
you could be packing a major secret.
Fine. You got me.
Too bad this confession self-destructs
in about 30 seconds.
Hmm. For me?
Whoever you may be.
All jokes aside, though,
you could totally be a secret agent.
You fit in everywhere, you notice everything,
not to mention you adopted the whole nomadic lifestyle
for a while.
One has to wonder why.
-You're reaching. -Am I?
-Yeah. -Mm.
Well, let me paint you a little picture.
Story time.
DANI: First time?
No, no, I-I've been here before.
You're too handsome to be this shy.
What's your name?
Aura. Cam Aura.
I'm Bea.
Bea Guiling.
Yes, you... are.
I'm sorry-- That's a lovely name.
You're one of those high fashion photographers, right?
You probably photograph beautiful women
all over the globe.
No. I shoot men's underwear catalogs in Des Moines.
I'm sorry, it's not as exciting.
No, it ain't.
So, are the cinnamon buns here as sweet as you are?
Hot, delicious,
sweet temptation.
But nothing as good as what's on the secret menu.
I wasn't sure if the secret menu was real.
Word is the McGuffin Muffin
is the best thing to ever happen to an egg or a muffin.
Word is truth-- but nothing as tasty as me.
So you're the one.
My boss at Dunn Cooking said that
you'd have a batch of secret recipes for me.
Maybe, maybe not.
You have my dough?
Oh, yeah-- pumpernickel,
multigrain. All small rolls, untraceable.
You'll find a chip inside.
Has everything you need.
Well, I guess that concludes our business.
Unless you're interested in some pleasure.
Uh, Bea Guiling, there's something you should know.
You're not Cam Aura.
You're Andre Richardson,
international man of mystery.
Yeah, that's right. And there's more.
I'm buttering both sides of the bread.
A double agent.
I don't work for Dunn Cooking.
Orphey Gene's hired me to figure out who's been
selling to the competition.
And ma'am, you've been caught... flour-handed.
Baby, I'm as clean as a nonstick pan.
I'm the one who works for Orphey Gene.
But...
if we're on the same side,
then what's with all of this mystery?
Orphey Gene is a huge romantic.
I guess she knew we'd blend better than peaches and cream.
All we needed was a little... push.
Mm...
So we're both on the secret menu, it seems.
What was that about you being...
tasty?
Why don't you find out for yourself? [purrs]
You could have fantasized about anything...
and you made me a men's underwear photographer
-from Iowa? -That was just the cover.
The most important part is that you turned out
to be a sexy double agent who gets the girl.
Well...
-that was my favorite part. -Mm-hmm.
Let's see if that's true in real life.
He had the nerve to defend Leslie to me.
He is trying to normalize her
like she isn't a regular mental patient
who escaped from her room.
I'm sorry.
What's going on with Grayson?
Chief, what can we help you with?
Shanice, can you take this to Dr. Richardson?
Uh, I'll do that.
No, I need to have you catch me up on another matter.
I've got it.
[mouths]
Which patient did you want to discuss?
No patient.
I have questions about your boyfriend.
Put those down, man. He's not a threat.
Not until he tells me who he is.
The last new guy I met left me with a hole in my gut.
I'm Bradley Smith.
I'm an investigative reporter with the Washington Record.
My friends call me Smitty.
I'm not your friend.
We're in-laws. He knows I've been undercover.
So you're using me for a story, is that it?
You get your name in the paper,
and you come up the ranks as, as hero detective?
You're misunderstanding.
You were posing as a bad cop,
and now you want me to believe that you're a good cop?
This isn't about personal glory.
I want to dismantle this thing.
Every day this plasma ring exists,
more people are being exploited and tossed to the side
while others struggle to receive the access they need.
Like your mother.
Smitty's helping me shine a light on it
so it never happens again.
You can trust him.
You met Max, right?
He's how this whole thing started.
Max wanted to expose the syndicate,
so he tipped me off, I brought Jacob in
and you know the rest.
Yeah, I-I know that Max got stabbed, just like me.
Except there were guys waiting to finish him off.
But they didn't, because you stepped up.
Look, Jacob told me that you're a good guy
who just got caught up.
Help us make sure that nobody
has to walk down that path again.
I hope you kill this ring.
I do, but I want nothing to do with the story-- I want out.
-It's not that simple. -Oh, it is for me.
I'm taking my mom and leaving. Just like Max.
Take one more step and I arrest you.
Even though you beat me in every single race.
Now, mind you, Uptown's got dessert.
But Orphey Gene's is...
Don't look.
You know that has the opposite effect. Now I have to.
What?
We have a culinary VIP in our midst.
Sunny Anderson just sat down.
Don't be so obvious.
This could be one of those incognito
food critic situations.
Doubtful. She has been here before.
Come on, let's go say hi.
[groans]
Sorry to interrupt, Ms. Anderson,
-but we are huge fans. -Hi.
-I'm Nicole Dupree. -Oh, so sweet.
-I'm Dr. Carlton Fitzgerald. -Nice to meet you.
Wait, Dupree?
As in related to Senator Vernon Dupree?
-He's my father, actually. -Girl,
tell that man thank you for me.
Back when we were doing top five restaurants,
we came here and that man gave me
his last scoop of peach cobbler.
It was like the last that they had here.
-Yeah, that sounds like Vernon. -Oh. It was so good,
my crew tore it up.
We forgot to take the hero shots.
[laughs]
Well, I will let him know that his generosity lives on.
Oh, please do. Let me tell you,
anytime I'm in town, this is where I go, Orphey Gene's.
It's a great way to cap off the day
of taping at The Drew Barrymore Show.
Well, don't let us stop you.
-Enjoy. -Oh, thank you.
-CARLTON: It's lovely to meet you. -Nice to meet you, same.
Thank you.
Now, I know that
Sunny loves her peach cobbler,
but this cherry crumble?
Divine.
How can you even say that when the most perfect dish on earth
is right here in this banana pudding?
Right now, my body needs something else
-that's sweet tonight. -Hmm.
I don't think you can have that here.
Mmm, well, then you better
hurry up and get me to bed.
Say less.
[Nicole laughs]
Girl, I think I gotta switch up my order.
I am way out of practice waiting up for Smitty
while he does his investigative journalist routine.
Thank you.
Usually, he's the one waiting up for you.
Yeah, and here I am,
all alone, prepping for a fundraiser.
[chuckles]
Mom will say I'm using humor to hide my worry.
Is there a reason to worry?
I wish I knew,
but I have to respect reporter confidentiality.
And, hey, you're married to a cop.
How do you handle the unknown?
I usually just try to remind myself that Jacob
is a trained professional and he can take care of himself.
And so can Smitty.
Yeah, that helps a little.
And staying busy. Hey, how's your campaign going?
[laughs]
Well, I have doubled my meet and greets.
And my polling's trending higher, too.
That's awesome.
Uh... Gran did tell me
that you're getting a nudge towards Senate?
Are you really gonna answer that call?
And let me guess--
you were sent over here to talk me out of it.
This is all me.
I know you know the reasons why you shouldn't run,
but I'd love to hear why you think you should,
especially given the considerable risk.
I can't take back what happened that night
or everything after Kenny tried to blackmail me.
But my job?
Helping people?
It makes me feel less guilty and more...
...myself.
This is my calling.
I hear you.
I mean, I don't know who I'd be if I weren't a lawyer.
But I'm still a little wary
about what a bigger stage would open up for you, Martin.
Granddad is doing everything in his power
to keep that in check.
And if only he would lend his skills
to help me navigating something scarier...
The cotillion.
Oh.
Yeah, I can't believe that's already here.
I was shaking in my pumps when I debuted.
How is Samantha doing?
She's excited, but she's feeling the pressure.
You think Jacob's gonna make it?
Probably not.
But he'll be home before we know it.
Um, yeah, I should get going.
I hate that I missed Smitty, but I'm glad I got you.
Me, too.
And we should do a proper double date
when our men are back to where they belong.
[chuckles] You know it.
Delivery from Chief Whitmore.
Can you stay?
Just for a minute, please?
I had a whole, uh, mystery dinner planned for later,
'cause I know you're into those.
But I think we need to clear the air.
Go on.
I know you're ticked off about Dana.
But if you felt I was siding with her in any way,
I wasn't.
Then how do you explain it?
What am I supposed to do when you clearly
still have feelings for a woman who tried
to destroy your life?
Feelings for her?
Have you lost your mind?
You were right about dating
and working together being a bad idea.
We broke up.
Turns out we never really knew each other at all.
-[tablet chimes] -Mm.
Well, that's room six. Time to change the IV.
Go. Faster response times
makes for happier patients.
Put your hands down, man.
Can I get some water?
There's some bottles in there.
Go home. Martin and the kids can use some time with you.
Just lay low for tonight.
The second you have something--
I'll text you.
I'm glad you remembered I told you about this place.
Yeah, in case of emergencies.
So what else don't I know?
What you put in motion when you went to Ashley's,
and put my wife in this, too.
What was I supposed to do, let myself bleed out?
Ashley was the only person I could trust.
You have to know that I never wanted to get her involved
or put your wife at risk.
Yeah, I know you didn't have a choice.
I thought I did.
I thought I was running my own life by choosing
to make some extra cash so I could take care of my mom.
I couldn't take away her Parkinson's,
but at least I could get her into a better facility
by making deliveries, cash on every drop.
What were you delivering?
At first, I didn't know.
The places they sent me were all legit.
I thought the cash that they were giving me
under the table was just some kind of tax dodge,
maybe, but nothing criminal, I just...
So when did you find out about the plasma?
When they ordered me to steal it.
And at first I said no. Hell no. But...
then my mom...
They threatened her.
Yeah. So I did it.
And I continued doing it.
They could punish me by hurting my mom.
-I'm not gonna let that happen. -Just like you stopped
me from getting stabbed?
Come on.
And now Ashley, she looks at me like a complete stranger.
Pity where all the possibility used to be.
She dumped me.
Damn, man, I didn't know.
Don't act like you care.
You wanted me to end things with her from day one.
In hindsight, I can't blame you.
I'm not the man she thought I was.
What's important is what happens next,
how you cooperate.
I'll give you what you've wanted this whole time.
Yeah?
The name of my boss at Garland.
Okay. Yeah, I'm listening.
But first, I'm gonna need something from you.
And it's non-negotiable.
I want immunity. I'm all my mom has,
and if I go away, I can't take care of her.
-Done. Now, who is she? -I want it in writing.
My word is good. My dad is the chief of police.
You could have told me the truth
this whole time-- why didn't you?
Come on, man, you still think I'm working both sides?
You've gotta have enough on Ren by now.
How's he still walking free after he put the hit on Max
and all the other guys who worked for him, huh?
Because if I pull the trigger too soon,
the top dogs scatter and set up shop somewhere else.
You want the very top.
The Impaler.
Do you know who he is?
No, there wasn't exactly an employee orientation.
But that doesn't mean you aren't closer than you think.
Your point person at the hospital could
be in direct contact with The Impaler.
That's why I need to know who she is.
Immunity first, name second.
Fine.
I know a prosecutor. He'll get the ball rolling.
Why don't we turn the tables for a minute, hmm?
I have a little story of my own.
-You do? -Mm-hmm. Come here.
Take me there.
[Southern accent]: Welcome to Orphey Gene's.
I've never met a girl named Dan before.
Oh, my boss misheard Dani on day one,
and I didn't want to make a big fuss.
I bet you hate having people ask you about that
every time you take an order.
I don't mind-- it's a nice icebreaker.
A woman as stunning as you
hardly has to do that.
Aren't you sweet?
Just my professional opinion.
Let me guess.
You one of those sophisticated fashion photographers
for glossy magazines?
You probably meet all sorts of fancy people.
I was.
But not anymore.
I think I'm gonna take the independent route now.
Why would you do that?
Because I just met my muse.
Her name's Dani, but sometimes,
she goes by Dan.
What do you say we walk out of that door together
and I take beautiful photos of you for the rest of your days?
-Really? -Yeah.
We'll dance along the clouds on my private jet.
We'll show the world how beautiful you are
one snap at a time.
Why would you be interested in a plain old waitress like me?
You're a goddess.
In this uniform, with this hair?
Do you believe in love at first sight, Dani?
I do now.
It was destiny that brought me here to you.
Join me for the adventure of a lifetime?
But there's something I have to do first.
Don't worry about your clothes. We'll go shopping in Milan.
I'll lace you up like a fantasy in the finest silks.
A second ago, you said I was a goddess.
But that's not it.
First, we need to stop by my parents' place.
They live in that big castle beyond the gates.
King Vernon and Queen Anita of Fairmont Crest.
Hold up.
Why are you pretending to be a waitress
if you're really a princess?
I tried all the kingdom's dating apps,
but no one could get past my crown and jewels.
How tragic.
I took this job hoping
that someone would finally see me for me.
Are you that person?
Consider yourself seen.
You'd be my princess, even if we both were poor.
Oh, my heart.
And those gorgeous lips.
May I?
Yes.
You turned your supermodel wife into a waitress?
No, I turned you into a princess.
And we lived happily ever after.
Well, I think Bea Guiling needs to continue her work.
Oh?
And what information is Bea seeking now?
Wouldn't you like to know?
Hey. Thought you were working late.
Some things, uh, shifted.
Where's Samantha and Tyrell?
Cotillion practice.
Hey, I've been thinking.
Letting Tyrell out of this punishment
to honor his commitment
might not be the parental win we thought.
I mean, he still gets to see Jessica.
Yeah, you're probably right.
Naomi stopped by. She was looking for you.
We got so busy catching up
that I didn't even ask what she wanted.
Naomi came by for me?
Yeah.
Wine?
I'm good.
Did you eat?
I made ravioli.
Or I could order something for delivery.
Uh-huh.
Babe...
talk to me.
Yell at me for even considering a Senate run.
Or unintentionally making you an afterthought.
What's going on?
I can see you're carrying this weight,
and I want to help you lift it.
Okay.
Yeah, you know what?
What I need is to not think...
...about anything.
Not think about campaigns, journalism, nothing.
All right, we can do that.
I have the perfect distraction.
You know what?
I do have feelings for Dana.
And it's actually inescapable.
Finally, you admit it.
Crushing regret.
My biggest and loudest mistake is floating around every day
reminding me about something that happened decades ago.
I could believe that if you hadn't slept with her again.
And-and this was after she showed you
exactly who she was.
You know, maybe that's just evidence
of the power she has over you.
Like you were under one of her little spells.
The only influence I was under was booze.
At that moment, I had sunken as low as I possibly could.
I had just lost Nicole, and I reached for the bottle.
You reached for Leslie, too.
What do you want me to say?
I was in a dark place.
A place you pulled me from.
Okay.
Okay, so what happens if you and I get into this,
this knock-down, drag-out fight, huh?
And you get upset and you go,
you go to the Bowman or to Uptown
or go have a drink at the club,
and then in walks Leslie
with one of those stupid, ridiculous getups on
-in one of your favorite wigs. -[sighs]
Are you gonna leave?
Or are you gonna entertain her nonsense
like you continually do?
I had a bad night.
I am not a bad man.
And I'm never letting myself get pulled into her mess again.
But that isn't true, is it?
Because you will always be tied together because of Eva.
Yes, we share Eva.
But you're the only woman that I want to be with.
Then why does our bed feel so crowded?
CARLTON: Mm.
[sighs]
How did you get to be so damn sexy?
[laughs]
Don't stop.
My beautiful Nicole.
Mm, my beautiful Nicole.
Whoa, is everything okay?
You want me to stop? No, no,
it-it's fine, I just...
It's embarrassing. I just got a leg cramp.
Well, I could rub it for you.
-I have a better idea. -Oh, yeah?
Yeah.
You want another story?
I want you to make sense of the mysterious phone call
that started all this.
Oh. That.
I just demonstrated how I can make you talk.
I'd say that was more like a moan.
Okay, okay.
Listen.
I have a commercial shoot for this new K-pop group.
-Oh! -Yeah.
[laughs]
Well, I can't wait to see what you bring back.
How many days do I have to miss you?
None.
Come with me.
Okay.
Really?
[laughs] Okay.
That's my little adventurer.
Wow, Tokyo and Korea, here we come.
Tokyo, too? Did you book a job there?
No.
Fashion Week.
Front row, the Tokyo Fashion Collective.
Andre..
...did you arrange for me to see
the show featuring ChelseaKat?
-Yes. -Oh!
You are not an international spy.
You are the best hubby in the whole wide world.
Thank you, and you are
a much better special agent
in your dreams than in real life.
Maybe.
Unless I was playing you all along to get you to spill.
[laughs]
How'd it go?
Smitty wasn't home, and Martin doesn't know a thing.
You?
Everything's been quiet around here, too.
Well, it won't be quite as quiet when you get home.
Are you staying with me?
-Of course. -Oh, thanks, friend, but
I'm gonna be here overnight.
Well, then just text me when you're leaving work
or if anything happens while you're here.
Promise?
Promise.
Did you and Ted work things out?
I laid down the gauntlet.
We'll see if he picks it up to have a future with me,
or if his heart is still stuck in the past.
One sec.
Yes?
Yes, I understand.
Yes, I agree.
I'll follow up tomorrow.
Thanks again.
Are we good?
Yeah.
You came through.
[phone chimes]
It's the email with the agreement.
Clem's already went over the terms.
All you have to do is sign through the app.
[scoffs]
And just like that, I'm not going to jail
I kept my end of the bargain.
So what do you have for me?
My contact at the hospital is Lia Whitmore,
chief of staff.
Waltz with me.
That is not what I was expecting.
The cotillion is almost here,
and I thought you could catch me up to speed
because of your new dance lessons.
-Okay. -Oh, should I put on some music?
No, no, no, no, no, we'll, uh, we'll keep count together.
-Okay. -Ready?
-Mm-hm. -Uh, you can lead.
-So... -Mm-hmm.
BOTH: One, two, three, one, two, three.
-One, two, three. -SMITTY: This foot there.
One, two, three.
One, two, three,
one, two, three.
All right, now keep the count in your head.
Okay.
Shoulders back.
And other than that, your posture is damn good.
-So is yours. -Okay,
stop distracting me.
-We need to keep the rhythm. -Okay.
-You got it? -Yeah.
Okay.
MARTIN [chuckling]: Oh!
I think I stopped counting.
[Smitty chuckles]
-Ah. -TED: Lia.
Hey.
-How's it going? -Busy.
And you?
I sensed a little chill
-between you and Shanice. -Mm.
I'm sorry. Am I overstepping?
Ah, you know, you and I go way back, so, no, you aren't.
Shanice and I just hit a bump in the road
when it came to a past mistake of mine.
Ah, isn't that something?
We try so hard to make a difference,
but what people remember are the mistakes we make along the way.
One wrong decision a million years ago
and still puts my heart through hell.
Maybe redemption will be easier than we think.
Have a good night.
Yeah. Bye.
Looks like Ted made his choice.
Guess it's time for me to make mine.
You didn't finish telling me,
what's up with your man?
♪ ♪
[sighs]
Oh.
-Music? -[romantic song playing]
You remember this one?
Yeah, the first time we heard it was
at that little dive bar in Virginia.
-Mm-hmm. -We were the only ones
on the dance floor.
And then that bridal shower came in
and changed the whole vibe.
Well, it is not my fault that their entertainment canceled.
I was providing public service.
[both laugh]
How about we go upstairs, and, after a hot shower,
I will give you a repeat performance?
You don't have to ask me twice.
I will be right behind you.
I promise.
One second.
Hey. Sorry.
I just saw all the missed calls.
Did he give up a name?
Yeah, he did...
and you're not gonna believe who it is.
-Who? -Lia Whitmore.
The chief of staff at Garland?
She's like the most upstanding member of society.
Yeah, and she's got everybody fooled.
I hate last-minute changes, Ren.
What do you mean, it's not happening?
Do you know what it took to get that pickup scheduled?
And now I have to rearrange everything on the fly?
Yes, but...
I have problems you don't even know about.
There are some loose ends I have to take care of.
Soon.
I wish I could stay and have some dessert for breakfast.
Too bad we left it at Orphey Gene's.
Mm, that's not exactly what I'm talking about.
I know.
[both chuckle]
But I do have an early surgery.
And I do have patients-- so go.
I will see you at the hospital in the morning.
Uh-huh.
Thank you for an incredible evening.
I should be thanking you.
I'll get you a glass of water before I go.
Mm, my beautiful Nicole.
Next onBeyond the Gates...
My last chemo session.
It shouldn't be too much longer
before you'll ring the bell and on your way.
Hallelujah.
Keep your friends close,
but keep your enemies closer.
I thought Ted and I were cool.
Don't be such a bitch about it!
Is Grayson who you've been investigating?
You're barking up the wrong tree.
Then set me straight, Jacob.
Right now.
Get the hell out of my face. -Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Hey, back up, both of you!
What are we dealing with here?
So you're Hazel Harcourt's attorney?
Missed you, too, buddy.
Captioning sponsored by CBS
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org